


Ripple Effect

by Himmelreich



Category: Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀 (TV)
Genre: I'm using the Japanese names à la Hepburn here, M/M, bc I don't understand Pinyin and at this point I'm afraid to ask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-09 23:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19485931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Himmelreich/pseuds/Himmelreich
Summary: alternate working title: two bros, chilling in the hot tub, five feet apart bc shō needs a break 🎵🎵🎵





	Ripple Effect

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this pairing, check out this [zine](https://twitter.com/TBF_AU/status/1152321935579209728)!

Peace, quiet and absolute concentration.

The successful usage of ki required one's ability to focus one's body and mind, access a state of dead calm even in the midst of a typhoon of raging emotions. Like any other skill, it had to be honed over time, practiced again and again until it became second nature, until one could execute it even under the most contrary of circumstances, could forgo getting trapped in the all too human weakness of losing control to one's feelings.

Shō took another deep breath, tracing the path the airflow took through his body, feeling the vibrant energy spread into every last corner. As he exhaled, he could feel it evening out any accumulated unrest like the stilling surface of a lake after the rainstorm had passed.

“It truly is a lovely night, isn’t it, Sir Shō?"

And that was the end to this exercise. Shō opened his eyes in order to glare at the man sitting a mere arm's length across from him, arms casually stretched along the the stone enclosure of their private outdoor bath. As usual, Rin was regarding him with that constant smug, self-satisfied expression.

"It would be, if you could just shut your trap for half an hour," Shō grumbled. “You’re a major pain in the neck, you do know that, right.”

"Oh? And what exactly prompted this train of thought in this moment? I'd be as bold as to say I haven't done anything to incur your anger" –there was a short pause-"today, that is."

Ah, he was pretending to have grown more self-aware around him now, Shō thought. Not that this was giving him any hope that the man would actually learn from things he did in the past. Consequences to him were probably a concept that exclusively affected people that weren’t him.

Since he didn't deign the statement worthy of a reply, Rin tilted his head slightly, one hand coming up to lazily indicate the area around them, water dripping from his fingers like dew drops.

"If anything, I thought I for once got into your good graces by offering to pay for your lodgings. Sleeping out in forests and barns can't be all that comfortable all the time, or am I mistaken?"

Shō couldn't help doging the straight-forward gaze at that. Technically, he was right. Being a full-time carrier of mystic blades wasn't exactly a paying profession, and while he could invoke Tan Hi's name in order to find shelter with people reverent of the Gōinshi, it felt somewhat exploitative. The last thing that young lady needed right now was people questioning why a vagrant swordsman of dubious origin made a living off her name. No, if that was the option, sleeping outdoors was preferable, sadly.

"It's not not like it's your own hard-earned money you're spending here, is it."

"I'll have you know I did work for a lot of it." Rin sounded amused rather than insulted. "I told you that the things I steal usually aren't of material value, but sometimes getting them involves a longer time of me holding certain positions and doing some actual work there."

When Shō threw him a doubting look from the corner of his eyes, Rin laughed.

"Fine, fine - some more of it was made in less honourable ways. But you've never rejected my hospitality before."

"Only because I know that the guys you take it from probably didn't deserve having it, either."

"Such a man of principles you are, noble Sir Shō."

"Shut up already, will you."

The retort was weak and almost childish, and Shō was very much aware of that, could see the way Rin's smile grew wider, even more smug.

"As you wish."

As if this guy would be able to shut up for more than a few minutes at a time, Shō thought. He was way too much in love with the sound of his own voice. His glare remained utterly ineffective as Rin stretched with a content hum before draping himself again along the edge of the bath.

For show, undoubtedly, as were most of his gestures – always executed with an extra flourish as if he thought himself a constant stage performer. On second thought, wasn’t that exactly what he was?

Rin was undeniably unusually handsome, that much Shō could fairly admit, and Rin was equally aware of this trait of his. People were quicker to trust beautiful, well spoken people, no matter what lurked behind their facade, and Shō had little doubt Rin capitalised on this for many of his schemes. But he was also undoubtedly quite vain for his own sake. He was already self-enamoured with his ability to manipulate people, his fighting skills and magical tricks, so it probably was no surprise he also loved his own appearance. Narcissistic bastard.

It would have been fine if Shō could simply dismiss him as such and move on. It would have been even better if the moment he had spotted that damn bird under that tree, he had listened to all the alarm bells within his brain that had told him to get the hell out of dodge right away and not let the man engage him in any way or form.

But then and now, he found himself unable to escape the pull Rin Setsu A seemed to exert on him, like goddamn gravity. He was annoying, insincere, incredibly arrogant, hypocritical, one couldn't trust him for even a second without regretting it later – in short, he was just about everything Shō resented in other people. And yet, he was also one of the most fascinating people he had ever encountered, and it was so frustratingly hard to scrub him from his mind entirely.

Rin kept getting under his skin the way no-one else did. Each time he thought he had successfully shook him on his travels, when he thought he had finally gotten over this weird, constant irritation for good, they inevitably crossed paths again, because of course they always did, because Touri was Rin's homeland and he had no difficulty tracking him down. Uninvited, unwelcome, and honestly, exhauting to deal with, but also never boring, no matter how tiring dealing with him was.

Maybe it was like a sickness, a really bad fever, Shō thought, leaning his head back to rest against the edge of the bath, frowning at the night sky. You needed to get it out of your system by enduring the worst bout of it once, and then you could get over it and would be unaffected the next time.

Perhaps he should fight the man in earnest once, then. Make sure he was prepared for all the trickeries and illusions that might be thrown his way, press on and draw out Rin's true abilities as a warrior. They said that a man's blade spoke more truly of his character than any of his words, and if true, that should help with clarifying why the hell Rin had him wrapped around his little finger the way he did, getting a morsel of sincerity out of a man who seemed perpetually trading in honey-coated flattery and serpent-venomous lies.

Shō involuntarily felt his nerves flare with positive anticipation, bloodlust for combat of long forgotten days rearing its ugly head, from before he had taken up an edgeless blade to remain aware of the consequences of his actions on the battlefield at all times. He had only caught glimpses of Rin's duel with Betsu Ten Gai, but there was no doubting that the man was a supremely strong fighter when he wanted to be. It wouldn't be an easy duel by any means. No, it would be a challenge unlike any other, because Rin was unlike any other.

In his sudden rush of adrenalin caused by following a track of thought too far up the garden path, it took Shō by surprise to feel Rin move closer, lean forward in their small space, the water he disturbed hitting against Shō's chest in quick ripples as Rin’s arms now effectively trapped him against the enclosure.

He snapped his attention back to what was in front of him in this moment rather than getting lost in old memories and misplaced excitements for fights that would never happen, _Should_ never happen, really, for the good of everyone involved. He suddenly found himself only a hand's breadth away from Rin's face, his red eyes even more eerie in the relative dark of their surroundings, the little light refracted from the brilliant white of his hair.

"What now," he mumbled, thrown off by the sudden proximity, but not flinching back, either. He felt the long familiar warmth of ki concentrated to the degree of being able to cut through steel gather at his fingertips, a pure reflex at this point. Rin could no doubt sense it, see the shimmer of it in his eyes. The thought of skipping the whole duel part and just taking that vexing man down by brute force surfaced just as quickly as he suppressed it.

"You had a truly interesting look on your face just now," Rin said lightly, but his expression was more serious than usual. "I wonder what you are thinking about."

"You." 

He said it before even thinking twice, and wanted to bite his own tongue the second after. Well, it surely was too late now, and he would be damned if he picked up that bastard's habit of constantly lying. Rin blinked, his eyebrows drawing up in exaggerated surprise.

"Now, that is an unexpected reply, Sir Shō."

"I doubt anything surprises you, really."

"I'll have you know, no matter how flattering I find your assumption regarding my capabilities to be, I do not possess the ability to read minds."

"That's good to know, I guess." 

Not as if Shō had ever worried that this damn bird might be capable of this feat, no, it was just his freakingly good intuition and ability to read people's intentions at work. However, it was nice to know that he had no idea about what kind of directions his thoughts had taken just a few moments earlier.

"That is not to say that wouldn't very much like to be able to do it, especially in moments like these."

Shō clicked his tongue impatiently. Rin had not backed off from crowding his space yet, and it didn’t exactly help making him feel comfortable.

“What for? I told you.”

“You did,” Rin agreed. “But barely. What do you think of me, Sir Shō?”

He was leaning in close enough now that Shō could feel the water dripping from the uneven strands framing his face hit the skin of his shoulders, and he had to suppress a shiver.

“I told you, you’re a pain in the neck, that’s it.” 

Even he could tell that it came out even more half-hearted as usual, weakened still by the fact that he did not make any move away as Rin’s right hand came to rest against his jaw. It was a light touch, and yet it was unprecedented and strange. For all his impertinent familiarity, Rin usually kept a certain amount of distance, and the absence of his usual teasing expression made it unlikely that this was a mere joke. This was new territory, and Shō remained still, unsure of what was going through the damn bird’s head in this moment.

Rin let out a pensive hum after a few seconds, his head tilting to the side as he trailed his fingers across Shō’s cheek until they rested against the corners of his mouth.

"You truly are an extraordinarily long-suffering man, Sir Shō, aren’t you? I wonder, how far you'll let me push you?”

"Who says I'm letting you push me anywhere?" Shō replied, not yielding a hair's breadth of ground in this new confrontation. He could feel the man’s fingertips brush against his lips with every syllable, and it was irritating in a whole new way. "Maybe I'm just goading you into doing what I want, and letting you think you're in control while I'm doing it."

It would have been a nonsensical comeback in any situation, considering that if there was anyone who knew that this was a blatant lie, it was the man who had managed to manipulate him so easily before. The sardonic grin returned to Rin’s face, and Shō instantly was on edge.

“Well, let’s see about that, then.”

And then, he closed the distance between them and kissed Shō without even a hint of reservation. Shō caught Rin’s eyes being equally open, glinting with challenge as he pressed closer, leaving them pressed chest to chest. 

Aah, it had been this kind of attraction, then. Like a fever, you had to submit and suffer through the worst of it once before you got it out of your system, that was what he had thought the solution to be before. Right, he should have seen it coming; He didn’t have to fight Rin in order to end this, no. Maybe, this would do.

He could tell Rin tensed when Shō started moving, probably prepared to duck out of reach of a potential punch with a laugh, as always, but instead, Shō only placed his own hand along Rin’s jaw to gain more control of the kiss, because there was no way he would just let Rin do whatever he wanted. The quickest glimpse of surprise on the man’s face at the reaction he did not predict was a sweet and rare triumph, and Shō couldn’t help grinning as he returned the kiss.

He had never actively thought about it, but he found that he wasn’t the least surprised to find out that Rin was an excellent kisser. His silver tongue wasn’t merely able to constantly needle him throughout the day, no, and if this was what it could do as well, maybe it made up for some of Rin’s exhausting constant chatter.

It was Rin who pulled back first, looking as usual barely ruffled by anything that happened, but there was a delighted predatory gleam to his eyes that should have given any normal person the desire to run for the hills. Shō bemoaned his own lack of any sense of self-preservation. He let his hand slide further down, coming to rest against Rin’s arm, feeling the solid muscle of a swordsman right beneath that pretty boy alabaster skin. Yes, any remnant of his common sense must have dissolved in the hot spring water at some point, there was no other explanation.

“You really are a most interesting person, Sir Shō Fu Kan,” Rin finally broke the silence, tone unmistakably appreciative.

“And you put the moves on everyone you find interesting?”

“I’m not that easy, no.” Rin brushed back a strand of Shō’s hair that had fallen into his face at some point during their kiss, smiling. “I only ever do what I feel like, and only sleep with whom I like.”

“Being liked by you sounds like a great way to die young.” 

He didn’t really want to think of Setsu Mu Shō now, or Kei Gai, or all the doubtlessly numerous pitiful people who once had been utterly smitten with this beautiful liar, but it was also hard not to, sometimes. No matter how sincere your love and respect for the Enigmatic Gale might be, if he decided to ruin you, he would. Shō was fairly sure that Rin liked each of his targets in his own strange way, so this announcement wasn’t exactly reassuring.

Rin must have guessed the direction of his thoughts, because he gave him a bit more space in inching back with a theatrical sigh.

“Ah, right, right, I shouldn’t be presupposing you being interested as well. I'm sure a fine man such as you is able to find a partner you consider less suspicious for the night easily, so putting up with me isn’t something you would be too enticed to do.”

“And what good would that do? Going by the sum of my experiences in your country, forgive for being cautious as to the trustworthiness of any new acquaintances,” Shō snorted. Not to mention, considering Rin’s shape-shifting shenanigans, even an unknown face wouldn’t confirm that a new acquaintance wasn’t tangled up in his ploys already. “No, in this case it’s taking it up with the devil you know versus the one you don’t, thank you very much.”

“So you finally trust me?” Rin trailed his fingertips along his neck, now, and Shō involuntarily felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up in response. “I'm touched to hear that.”

“Absolutely not.”

Shō grabbed hold of Rin’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his throat. He knew Rin didn’t want to kill him in earnest, nor steal anything from him as of his moment. He didn’t yet consider Shō a villain in need of being utterly humiliated, thankfully. And even if Shō had the sinking suspicion that in terms of handling magic seals, Rin outclassed him by leagues, he doubted that the man would ever try and steal the Sorcerous Sword Index from him in the dead of night. No, he would enjoy it much more to spread the word of its existence among those consumed by greed for mystical blades and send them after him, let him do the gruelling dirty work. He really should have at least punched him once before kissing him.

Instead, he tugged on Rin’s arm to pull him close again to kiss him once more, this time allowing his eyes to slide shut, letting himself just concentrate on the sensation of the kiss, of Rin’s fingers tangling in his hair and the feeling of his body against his own. 

“We should probably go and continue this inside,” Rin suggested in a murmur as he kissed along Shō’s jawline.

“We need to properly dry off first,” Shō said, although trying to remember the proper order of things seemed like such a distant priority at this point that it required active effort, “or we’ll get the futon wet.”

And they did, but it was hard to care about that, hard to care about anything, really, when he was shrouded in a curtain of pearl white hair, cutting them off from the surrounding world. The only things that mattered were the way Rin’s fingertips mapped out his body, the feeling of his lips and tongue on his skin, his quiet laughter, the solid warmth of his frame. 

How strange it was that a man mainly drawing on cold ki could be so warm, how someone who was all cool calculating edge could still be soft to the touch, Shō thought hazily, before he decided to not think anything at all. 

The storm had caught up with him once again, and this time he let it rage on without putting up resistance. He would have to assess the damage afterwards, but for now, he would give in and enjoy the force of it sweeping everything aside that wasn’t Rin Setsu A.


End file.
